Two fishermen from the Isle of Islay have recounted the baffling mystery of a 'yellow submarine' they hauled ashore more than two decades ago, a catch that captured international attention. John Baker, then 69, was fishing just a few miles off the coast of the Inner Hebrides island in May 2005 when his nets snagged the peculiar vessel. He successfully reeled in the 10-foot craft, weighing approximately 850 kilograms, which bore clear Royal Navy markings on its hull.
Initial Denial by Ministry of Defence
Despite the markings, the Ministry of Defence initially and publicly denied any ownership of the submersible. The enigmatic submarine found an unusual home in the garden of Harold Hastie, Mr Baker's brother-in-law, in the village of Port Ellen. It quickly became a local tourist attraction, drawing visitors curious about its origins.
International Media Frenzy
The unexplained presence and the ongoing ownership dispute generated significant international media coverage. Mr Hastie, now 72, recalled the global attention: "It just grew arms and legs. What started as a local curiosity became something people were talking about all over the world. One minute it's sitting there in Port Ellen, the next we're doing interviews with everyone – every newspaper in Britain, BBC World Service, even calls from overseas. It just went mad."
Resolution and Retrieval
The mystery was finally resolved in September 2005 when the Royal Navy, reversing its earlier denial, dispatched the minesweeper HMS Blyth to retrieve what it eventually conceded was its property. The 'yellow submarine' was in fact a remotely-operated vehicle used in mine-clearing operations.
Mr Baker described the catch: "There was no way of getting it aboard, so we got a rope on it and started towing it. The weather wasn't helping – it was hard going – but we knew we had to get it ashore and figure out what it was. We knew it was some kind of submersible, but we had no idea where it had come from."
Local Celebrity and Whisky Legacy
Mr Baker became something of a local celebrity after his discovery. He said: "I didn't buy a dram for three months. Everywhere you went, people wanted to hear about it." While the submarine was still on the island, Bruichladdich distillery quickly created a whisky named after the strange vessel. The distillery is now releasing a new 14-year-old limited edition single malt of its Yellow Submarine whisky.
In 2018, Bruichladdich acquired and restored a replica version of the submersible, which now stands in the distillery courtyard as a permanent reminder of the episode.
